Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a control amount calculating unit configured to calculate an equivalent electric power value using a pixel value of an input video signal, the equivalent electric power value corresponding to an amount of energy involved when an image based on the video signal is displayed on a display unit, and to calculate a control amount for controlling display luminance of the display unit so that the equivalent electric power value becomes equal to a predetermined value, and a correction processing unit configured to control the display luminance using the control amount calculated by the control amount calculating unit.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium for use in, for example, a television broadcaster to check an image to be displayed at a receiver.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]For instance, television broadcasters or video content distributors perform quality checks or the like before broadcasting or distributing programs (content). The quality checks are generally performed by displaying images of the programs on display devices (monitors).[0005]For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-136548, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a technique in which a display device capable of switchably displaying an original image and a processed image produc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]Among these displays, PDPs and CRT displays are configured to display images on screens using light emission due to discharge. Therefore, in order to suppress the generation of heat from display devices, extend product lifetime, or reduce electric power consumption, the signal level of an input video signal having a predetermined signal level (pixel value) or higher is limited and is output to the display devices.

[0014]Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-201812, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, describes a technique for controlling the level of display luminance using a display device not configured to limit display luminance. In this technique, the average picture level (APL) of an input video signal is calculated, and the brightness of a backlight of an LCD is adjusted in accordance with the magnitude of the calculated APL to control the display luminance. The control of the display luminance is performed in order to improve image quality (achieve high image quality).

[0017]The luminance signal Y is originally produced in accordance with the sensitivity of the human visual system, rather than representing the energy involved in displaying an image on a display device. Thus, in order to improve image quality, as in the above-described technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-201812, the desired effect can be achieved by adjusting display luminance on the basis of a luminance signal value which has a substantial effect on human visual perception.

[0023]According to the embodiment of the present invention, an allowable electric power value that is allowed to be consumed by a display device configured to limit display luminance in accordance with the magnitude of a pixel value of an input video signal is set as a predetermined value, and an equivalent electric power value calculated on the basis of the pixel value of the input video signal is controlled to become equal to the predetermined value. Therefore, an image to be displayed on the display device configured to limit display luminance in accordance with the magnitude of the pixel value of the input video signal can be reproduced.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, in order to suppress the generation of heat from display devices, extend product lifetime, or reduce electric power consumption, the signal level of an input video signal having a predetermined signal level (pixel value) or higher is limited and is output to the display devices.

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